10 Things You Need to Know as you start your Friday

By The Associated Press

Friday, February 8, 2013

Here are 10 Things You Need to Know as you start your Friday:

1. BLIZZARD THREATENS NORTHEAST. Up to 2 feet of snow is feared and residents from Pennsylvania to Maine are rushing to stock up on food, shovels and other supplies. Airlines have canceled thousands of flights.

2. SEARCH FOR EX-LAPD OFFICER TURNS TO CALIF. MOUNTAINS. The focus of police efforts shifts to the snowy mountains around Big Bear Lake, where they found shooting suspect Chris Dorner's burned-out pickup truck and tracks leading away from the vehicle.

3. COMPROMISE SOUGHT FOR GUN CONTROL. In a move that could add momentum to Obama's gun control plan, some senators are quietly trying to reach a deal on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks.

4. WHY PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE IS GAINING MOMENTUM. Connecticut is one of six states where proponents say they see strong support for allowing doctors to help mentally competent, dying individuals take their own lives.

5. BRENNAN'S TAKE ON DRONES MAY SPUR CHANGE. The CIA Director-designate's defense of drone strikes to kill terror suspects is causing key lawmakers to consider lifting secrecy about the program and push to regulate its use.

6. POLISH TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER LOSES SHOT AT TOP POST. Anna Grodzka lost her chance to become a deputy speaker in Parliament after lawmakers voted to keep an incumbent in place.

7. AFTER BRAZIL CLUB FIRE, NATION BRACES FOR CARNIVAL. Carnival festivities hit full stride and nearly all of the nightspots shut down last week are open again, raising questions about safety.

8. DEADLY BOMBINGS STRIKE IRAQ. In the latest in a series of attacks by insurgents seeking to re-ignite sectarian violence, four car bombs strike two outdoor markets, killing at least 31 people and wounding dozens.

9. AFTER MONOPOLY SNUB, THE IRON ENDURES. When online voters nixed the clothes iron token from the Hasbro game, the appliance was deemed passť. But the iron is holding its own, with solid sales and a loyal fan base.

10. "WALK THIS WAY." AP's Anita Hofschneider reports that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler plans to attend a legislative hearing in Hawaii that would limit the freedom of paparazzi.